FROM ALMOST FAMOUS to Gather 22, more and more Indianapolis restaurants are adding tinned fish to their menus, complete with a spread of tasty accoutrements (think sourdough bread, pepper oil, and pickled red onion).
Customers’ reception of restaurants’ tinned fish appetizers are admittedly slow-going. “People are still kind of apprehensive about it. If they see the word ‘tinned,’ they probably think it’s not of good quality,” says Curtis McGaha, proprietor of Almost Famous. “But once you start explaining the history of it, how it’s packaged in the oils, and how all the flavor gets packed in, then they open up to it.”
On the other hand, the trend of tinned fish continues to grow, and fans are a supportive bunch. Specialty markets like Amelia’s, Borage, Rooftop Fruit, and Dear Mom carry tinned fish on their pantry-snack shelves. Goose the Market hosted its first tinned seafood and wine tasting last April. “We weren’t sure if the crowd was just going to be a few fans geeking out together. But dozens of tickets sold out—and way faster than we’d even hoped,” says Corrie Cook, Smoking Goose narration director. “The U.S. and definitely Indy are catching on to a preservation method that can be delicate, bright, layered, exciting to pair, and inspiring to serve.”
